Michelle McDonald, a sales consultant at Dorsch Ford in Bellevue, buckles into a Ford vehicle wearing an
empathy belly Friday. The belly simulates the weight and motion restrictions faced by pregnant women.

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BELLEVUE - Michelle McDonald had help slipping into the 30-pound vest designed to simulate pregnancy before sliding behind the wheel of a 2011 Ford Edge during a recent morning at Dorsch Ford Lincoln Mercury Kia.

The vest, one of the tools Ford engineers use when designing restraint and other systems in vehicles, is part of a nationwide tour - including two stops in Wisconsin - emphasizing safety for pregnant drivers.

McDonald, a sales consultant at Dorsch Ford, backed the idea of automotive engineers getting at least a sense of what pregnant drivers endure. ...